For all the advances in how, and where, we consume music, there’s still no substitute in our book for the regular radio show – that intimate, authoritative portal into unfamiliar music old or new. With podcasting and online streaming creating a global platform for local stations, there are a wealth of essential shows that should be in any adventurous listener’s diary. In this new occasional FACT series, we’ll be profiling our favourite shows from across the globe.
Show: n/a
Station: Fluid Radio
Hosts: n/a
When: 00:00-23:59, Mon-Sun
What: True to its name, faceless 24-hour online station Fluid Radio is hard to get a handle on. There’s no DJ roster, no regular tracklist re-ups and no commercial tie-ins; from the grayscale website to the general glitz-free aesthetic, flashiness is kept to a minimum. What you do get, however, is a pot-luck selection of “experimental music”, primarily tending towards the electroacoustic and the downbeat. Two channels are offered – the Experimental Acoustic Channel, and the Experimental Folk Channel – and both stick to “Ambient, Modern Classical, Experimental Acoustic, Alt Folk and Abstract sounds”. Drone music, pastoral folk, processed fiddles and gently brushed gongs tend not to be too far away – imagine a particularly furtive Late Junction episode stretched out over 24 hours and you’re tiptoeing down the right track.
Furthering the rustic feel, the Fluid Radio site also functions as a video blog (definite bookmark fodder for fans of the musky Old Apparatus aesthetic), news posts from way out there (mostly confined to sound art), an eye-catching photo blog and a patch of soil for Fluid Radio’s sister label, who put out beautifully packaged release of “textured improvised stillness” and Macedonian ambient music. Not a repository of bangers, by any means, but well worth a listen when looking for something quietly surprising.
Playlist: Taking some cues from Fluid’s ill-tended Mixcloud page (believe us, you’re not getting any hints on the homepage) a spooked, folky mixtape from boutique label Cooper Cult, tangled tape music mixed by James Murray of Slowcraft records, assorted film music, and some bits and bobs from the label.
How to listen: Stream live via the Fluid Radio page.
